Apparatus for aligning match strips having staggered matches



u 19 E. H. JAHNE 1,869,373

APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING MATCH STRIPS HAVING STAGGERED MATCHES Filed Aug. 30, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.1

E. H. JAHNE 1,869,373

APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING MATCH STRIPS HAVING STAGGERED MATCHES Aug. 2, 1932.

Filed Aug. 50, 1929 3 Sheets Sheet 2 Fig.2

Aug. 2, 1932. E. H. JAHNE 1,869,373

APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING MATCH STRIPS HAVING STAGGERED MATCHES Filed Aug. 50, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.3

Patented Aug. 2, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlce ERNST HERMANN JZLHNE, on DRESDEN, GERMANY, AssrGNoR TO THE FIRM uni- VERSELLE? CIGARETTEMASCHINEN-FABRIK J. G. .MULLER & (30., OF DRESD'EN,

GERMANY APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING 'MATCH STRIPS HAVING STAGGERED MATCHES Application filed August 30, 1929, Serial No. 389,518, and in Germany August 31, 1928.

which can be carried in the pocket, the steps in the process consisting in separating the strips into sections of equal length, in stacking these sections and in combiningthem by stitching into a covered unit provided with a friction surface. These steps are carried out by a special machine into which several (usually two or three) stacked and corresp'ondingly straightened strips are fed.

Considerable difiiculties are experienced in separating the strips and in stack-ing them accurately so that they are in perfect register, because the strips are difficult to handle owing to the staggered arrangement of the matches and the. presence of the thick 'ignitible tips. Above all, the strips are difficult to displace relative to one another.

The problem of preparing the strips com- 7 ing from the producing machine for the packaging machine by separating; them and straightening them out is solved according to the present invention by placing the strips arranged as they come with straightened tips on a conveyor moved forward transversely to the longitudinal direction of the strips one above the other on a muitisteppedslide which, at a stroke in the feed direction of the conveyor, carries at first the lowest strip on a rake to a fixed stop, whereupon a controlled covering plate consisting of sheet metal and the like is placedover this strip and the slide during its further movement pushes a second strip caught by it onto the covering surface as far as the first one. In additiomlateral guides are provided tostraighten the strips during their forward movement so that their side edges are in perfect alinement, andthe stacked and perfectly alined strips are then caught jointly and conveyed in their longichine;

tudinal direction towards the device which separates the strips .into sections and provides these sections with covers.

Preferably the rear portion of the slide 7' consists of a guide member 7 having an oscillatory front part 6 which latter by spring actuation isgguided'on' a control surface 15 so that after re-achin any feed position for one strip it is lowere to such an extent that Y i the next slide step can pass under the strips deposited.

ing above the slide .a spring-actuated stop is arranged at a corresponding distance above the slide so that after the-pile. 'ofstrips-ha's' reached a certainheight the subsequently ar- Within range of the feeding means endriving strips are retained bya spring-urged stop and the enlargement of the pile is .thus prevented. i a

In this mannerthe conveyor may besu'pplied continually and the height of the pile of strips depositedby the conveyor remain constant. f

One embodiment of theinvention isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a cross section of the ma- Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof Fig. 3v is a side-elevationpartly in section v of Fig. 1 seen from the right hand side of Fig. 1; and i p Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of a detail. Referring to the drawings, the strips are deposited on the conveyorgl moving in the direction of the arrow and being guided over-the rollers 2 and 3 so that their ignitible tips are in front. The conveyor 1 carries the strips to the stop 4 and piles them up there. To prevent the pile from getting toohigh, which would cause the strips to tumble over ed in the ways 8 not shown. The :member 7 .i

and, move on in wrong position, a springis engaged by a rod 9 connected with one end of the double-armed lever 11 arranged at 10. A cam 12 controls the double-armed lever 11 and thus the slide-6, 7 Y

The front portion 6 of the slide is articulated at 13 to the member 7 and carries at its front part a roll 14 running'on a step-like sure face 15. The member 6 is pivoted about its point of articulation 13 by means of the roller14'which is attached 'toits front end and which by the tension spring 31 is retained in contact with the cam or control sur face 15. r

In the modification shown, in which two strips are to be superimposed, theslide 6, 7

is provided with the two steps 16, 1'7, one of. which is secured to the member 6 while the other one is formed by the front edge of the sliding piece 7 7 During its working stroke the sl1de 6, 7,by means of the step 16, takes first a strip from *the' pile and pushes it on asupport 18 up to the stops 19 which engage both 'ends of the The double-armed lever21 controlled by I the cam 20 and pivoted at 22 carries at its free end the covering plate 23, the front end i 24 of whichis preferably bent slightly downwardly.

' The covering plate 23 is controlled so that it willbe lowered to the strip at the moment when the latter has'reached the stops 19.

Simultaneously, the roll 14 has passed the step of the surface 15. The member 6 of the slide is lowered, the step 16n continues its movement under the support- .18, and. the slide catches the second'strip by means of the step 17, the second strip'being pushed onto the covering plate23. Both strips are guided during their forward motion by the 1at eral guides 25, 26 so that they ex'actly'cover 1 one another, whilethe covering surface -prevents the interlocking of the staggeredirows of matches to makepossible the lateral'displacements caused by the guides 25, v26 in order to bring the strips into alignment,

After the two stripsj have been brought into absolute alinement in the way described, a gripper 28 provided with the pins 27 begins to act by getting hold of the two superimposed strips and feeding them by sections into the cutting device29, 30. The stroke' of the gripper 28 is timed so thatthe cutters29, 30 always strike one of the separa ing lines provided on the strip. r A

The pieces separated by the cutting device 29, 30 are then guided in any suitable manner to a device which provides-them with covers.

' The upper knife 30 is mounted on an arm 31 of a slidable member 31 which latter is reciprocally movable in a channel 32 provided on a portion of the machine frame G. To

' reciprocate said member 31 there is pivotally connected at 33 to said member a crank arm 33 provided near its free end with a slot 33" mounted on shaft 34.

attached tosaid lever and to said machine 7 in which the shaft34 of the machine is freely movable. A roller 35 on said arm 33 tracks a cam 36 mounted on shaft 34. A spring 37 attached to the arm 33 at 37 and to the frame G as at 3'? maintains rolling'contact between roller 35 and cam 36.

The pins 27 on the gripper 28 are'given their requisite movement as follows Gripper 28 is carried on an arm 38 (see frame serves to maintain the engagement of roller 43 and cam 45. i

The free arm 39 of the double-armed lever 3839rotatably engages a shaft 47'which is fixed to an operating member'48. The latter is'vertically reciprocable but non-rotatable in The lever 43' is provided a suitable guide 49 on themachine frame. The lower end of member 48 is provided with cam roller 48 which tracks'a cam 50 on shaft 34. A compression spring 51 suitably mounted serves to maintain continuous engagement between member 48' and 'cam' 50, and 1S 11 mountedfor example on member 48 between a shoulder 48 thereon and the lower end of guide 49. -Reciprocat1on:of saidniember 48,-causes rotation of arms 38 and 39 about their pivot point40 so that said pins. 27 on I arm 28 are alternately movedinto and'out of engagement with the match strip.

The main" drive of the machine is effected from the main driving shaft 52 which through pulley 53 -mounted' thereon is adapted to be dil'iiven'by the suitably driven belt 54' or the li e. l i a i A link 55 having a slot, 55 through which shaft 52 extends so that saidlink. is freely slidable' on said shaft isprovided. A cam roller 58'on link 55 tracks a cam 59 mounted on shaft 52 and rotatable therewith. Spring 57 attached both to said link and to said frame serves to maintain continuous contact between the latter and said cam 59. A doublearmed lever 56 has one of its arms pivotally connected at 55 to link 55. The arm of said :lever has pivotally attached thereto the pawl 60 which engages the ratchet wheel 61. The

latter has connected thereto a disk 62 and the twoare rotatably borne ona spindle 63 suitably supported from the machine frame. Thev pivoting point of'lever 56 is also on said "spindle 63. 'A cam'62 on disk 62 cooperates with the end 64 of a double-armed lever 64 which latteris pivotally borne at 65 on the machine frame. The forked end 64=of lever 64 engages in an annular slot 66" provided Said bushing has teeth 68 which may en- I gage corresponding depressions in a second bushing 69 rotatably mounted on shaft 67. The coupling of said two bushings is controlled through manipulation of lever 64 by reason of cam 62. A spring 70 serves to maintain continuous engagement between the end 64 and cam 62.

Shaft 67 is adapted to be driven from main shaft 52 by means of gear wheels 71 and 72 mounted on said shafts and meshing with one another. Shaft 67 which is continuously rotated from shaft 52, is through chain drive wheels 73 and 74 and chain 75 coupled to shaft 7 6 on which the roller 3 over which conveyer 1 passes, is mounted. V

Shaft 3a is driven from the main drive shaft 52 through the sprocket wheels 84 and 85 and chain 86.

On bushing 69, a sprocket wheel 7 7 is fixed ly mounted and over which chain? 8 passes. The latter also engagessprocket wheels 79 and, 80. lVheel 79 is attached to suitably journaled shaft 81 on which cam 12 is also fixedly mounted. WVheel 80is attached on the suitably journaled shaft 82, on which cam is also carried and by which cover plate 23 is controlled.

"* as previously described they are seized by pins 27 on gripper 28 andmoved so that a package width of said strlp are moved past knives 29 and 30 as shown in Fig. 2. Thereupon the upper knife 30, operated through cam 36, cuts ofi said package width of strip.

. Simultaneously gripper 28 is raised from said out 01f portion by means of member 18 so that pins 27 are freed from said strip The cutoff strips may fall upon a slanting surface 88 from which they are removed for further treatment. The above is repeated until the strips are divided as above described.

As soon as this is finished the projecting portions 62 of cam 62 engage the lower end 64 of lever 64 and cause engagement of bushings 66 and 69 whereupon sprocket wheel 77 becomes coupled with shaft 67 which will thereby be set in operation to feed a new set of strips'onto support 18 and simultaneously cover plate 23 will be rotated to permit said strips to be so deposited and then returned to clamp said new strip in place.

The feeding ratio of links 54:, and

sprocket wheel and cam disk 62 should be such that it is always uniform and results in a number of ten matches being contained in each of the sections struck ofi from said match strips. To effect this the rotation of disk 62 should be as fast as that of shaft 52,

i. e. for each ten rotations of the latter shaft,

disk 62 rotates once. Iclaim:' I 1. In a packing machine for strips provided with matches arranged in staggered relationship, a conveyor which is movable forwardly transversely to the longitudinal direction ofthe strips and "is adapted to receive the strips with staggered tips, a'multistepped slide adapted to receive from the. said 1 conveyor the stripswhich are deposited ther'eon in a pile, and to catch the lowermost strip duringthe stroke taking place inthe feed direction of the said conveyor, means acting as support for the said lowermost strip caught by the said slide, stationary stops limiting the motion of the said slide andstrip, acontrolled covering plateadapted to be placed over the said strip and to receive an additional strip from the said slide in perfect;

alinement with the preceding one, lateral guides for straightening the said strips during their forward movement to bring, them into perfect lateral 'alinement, means for catching the said superimposed'and alined strips and conveying them in their longitudinal direction, and a device for separating the said strips into sections.

' 2. In a device according to claim 1 in which said multistepped slide comprises a guide pleoe forming the rear portion of the said slide, an oscillatory part, attached to saidguide piece and forming the front portion of the said slide, and a cam surface for guiding Z the said oscillatory part, said cam surface being so shaped that the said oscillatory part is lowered after each feedposition of each strip f to the extent to permit theneXt step of the.

said slide to pass under the previously de posited strip. T 1 3. In a device according to claim 1, i in which a springa'ctuated stop is positioned at a distance above the said slide and is adapted to prevent the said strips from being piled up beyond a predetermined degree.

4. In a device according to claim 1, in which means for controlling said covering plate which is adapted to be placed between the said layers are provided and which means comprise a double-armed toggle, one arm of the said toggle being formed by the said covering plat-e, and'a cam adapted to be engaged by the second arm of the said toggle, the

fulcrum of the lever being in front of the i' said deposited match strips. p

5. In a packaging machine for strips provided with matchesarranged 1n staggered relation, aconveyor impelled forwardly trans- I versely to' the longitudinal direction of the match strips, movable means adapted to re-;

ceive said strips from said conveyor in a. pile and to move the lowermost strip of said pile forwardly, means for supporting said lowermost strip when so moved, means for positioninga second strip in lateral alinement with said first named strip, means for conveying said alined strips in longitudinal direction and means for separating said alined strips into sections.

6. In a packaging machine for matchesarranged on strips, means for depositing said strips in a pile, means for moving the lowermost strip of said pile forwardly onto a support means for moving the next lowermost strip from said pile over said first named strip; means for alining said strips laterally, and means for conveying said alined strips in longitudinal drecton thereof preparatory to packaging said matches.

7 In a packaging machine for matches ar ranged on' strips, means for depositing said strips in a pile, means for moving the lowermost strip of saidpile forwardly into a sup port, means for moving the next lowermost strip from said pile over said first nained strip, means for avoiding interference between the matches onsaid two strips, means for alining said strips and means for conveying said alined strips to'packaging means.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ERNST HERMANN JAHNE. 

